Former ‘View’ cohost says show gave her PTSD, claims difficult dynamic behind the scenes

It seems an uncomfortable and difficult working environment is the reason why comedian Michelle Collins, who co-hosted “The View” for one season from 2015-16, hightailed it from the ABC talk show.

Opening up about what she endured on set during a discussion with “Saturday Night Live” star Bowen Yang and recent “View” guest Matt Rogers on Wednesday’s episode of the “Las Culturistas” podcast, Collins discussed the unpleasant experience.

“I have bitten my tongue about a lot of the things that went on there, I think partially due to light PTSD, and just also being raised in a family home where we took the high road. I find it ugly. Frankly, it took me a long time to kind of come to terms with the fact that it was, and still is, the biggest thing I’ve ever done, and allowed me the opportunity to gain fans,” Collins said to the two, referencing her single-season stint at the show during season 19. “I’ll add that it does frustrate me a hair that I have behaved so well and then this show has absolutely never invited me back, they have a podcast, they never asked me back.”

On the show, the comedian, who kicks off her Big Natural tour on April 23, sat beside moderator Whoopi Goldberg, longtime cohost Joy Behar, Candace Cameron-Bure, Paula Faris and Raven-Symone.

She further talked about how the show reached out to film a short introductory segment featuring past cohosts ahead of its 25th-anniversary episode. She agreed to participate, with the shooting taking place in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

But when the episode finally aired, Collins felt unincluded.

“The premiere comes out and I swear they put me in, what’s the tiniest three-by-three-pixel square on an HD TV? You couldn’t see. It looked like I was in Schenectady,” Collins said. “I wasn’t bitter about it because, like, what are they going to do? Feature me? I was on the show for like, six months. So, fine. But then that whole season I thought, you know what? it’s [expletive], and I’ll say it, it isn’t nice. It’s like, listen, I exist, and I’ve played the game, but now I guess I don’t have to anymore, so that’s exciting.”

To Rogers, the show “lacks danger now” and its cohosts are all reluctant when it comes to conflict.

Rogers brought some much-needed flare to the show during his December 2023 appearance on “The View,” when he revealed he once saw Behar ride an airplane without shoes on. Behar told Rogers to “shut up” in response.

“It lacks a little bit of that energy. You know who tries to start mess is Sunny [Hostin], but because she’s the only one trying to start mess, it’s funny when she does, because you can see her rev up and deliver and it’s just like, you don’t believe this,” Rogers said.

Towards the end of the podcast, Collins admitted that she’d “happily go back” and even reached out to a friend who still works on the show, but nothing came from it.

“For me, it’s been such a long time, but I think that they do really want to forget about Candace, Raven, and I,” she said, even though Bure is set to appear on “The View” as a guest this coming Friday, while Goldberg appeared on Symoné's podcast back in August 2023.

“I personally think that there were so many things going on behind the scenes with the producers that we were just sort of, what’s the word in war?” she continued. “We were just the collateral, maybe is the word I’m looking for. They didn’t care. Like, okay, next, we’ve got to bring other people in.”

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